Of Pawns and Knights
by Storia Crissosa
Summary: Seemingly inconsequential events can not only change you, but the people around you. In such an event, the world changes before your eyes. In life, once down the rabbit hole, there is no climbing back out, no matter how many times you do or don't try.


A/N: I love the show Generator Rex, it's one of the first shows in the past few years that I've actually liked. So naturally I had to write for it. I worked on it with Animeimaginationgrl, this is going to be our project. If you review or fave on my page, please go to her page and give her feedback as well. Thanks. Oh, and of course you all know I don't own Generator Rex.

Zorana held the wrapped bundle in her arms. The baby squealed softly and she quickly shushed it as she made sure her pack was secured on her back. She took a deep breath before rushing towards the cars, hoping to the dear God above that she had not been spotted. The first car she hit, she circled before dropping to the floor quickly. She caught her breath while she bounced her baby girl in her arms. She pushed herself up slightly so she could look through the car's window. No light had gone on nor was an alarm going off to signal her attempted escape. She crouched back down and jumped when the baby squealed loudly. Shushing her wasn't going to work in a little while and Zorana knew this. Sooner or later the baby would be crying and begging for food or a dipper change or whatever. She had to get her baby out. She stood again and darted straight to her car. She nearly ran into it and the baby let out a cry when she hit the car.

"Oh quiet will you?" Zorana begged the child. "Please be quiet."

With that said she dug into her pocket and pulled out her keys. She pushed the key through the keyhole and unlocked the car. Opening the passenger door she threw her pack in and silently shut it. She then went to the back door and opened it. She slid in and in seconds she had buckled her daughter securely in her seat. With a quick kiss on the baby's forehead, she closed the door behind her and crawled over the middle console to the driver's seat. Here comes the hard part. Zorana took a few calming breaths and looked into the rear view mirror and then into the baby mirror so she can see her half-asleep _kicsi egy_. She had to do this. Had to. She shoved the key in the ignition and listened as the car struggled to start. For a terrifying half second she thought that it wouldn't, or that someone would hear. But no one came. The car came half alive as the air conditioning and the radio came on, a radio which Zorana immediately turned off. She waited a few more moments and with another squeal from her daughter she turned the key hard and the car roared to life. That was when some guards heard the car and were rummaging around looking for the location of the sound. Zorana slammed on the gas and the car zoomed forward, nearly killing one of the guards. Her baby's cries echoed the sound of the gun shots that were being aimed at the car. She steered the car left and right to dodge the bullets. A bullet crashed through the back window and glass went everywhere. Her baby's cries intensified as glass hit her baby.

"Shit!" She cursed as she turned the car towards the exit. Zorana pulled out her phone and flipped the makeshift switch that she had hastily attached to the back of it only an hour earlier. The lock box that was next to the iron fence between Zorana and her _kicsi egy's_ freedom opened. She pressed the button beneath it and the box sparked and fried. The car zoomed down the road that would lead to the highway, and out of the city. It would take them a while to fix the gate, unless of course they just pried them open. Or took the front door and managed to get a car. Her safe house, the apartment of an old friend that she had been secretly communicating with for the last few months, was only a few miles away. Zorana would hide herself and her baby there for a little while, and sneak away in the middle of the night.

"Thank God." She mumbled before she looked in the rear view mirror. "Oh my baby."

She took a deep breath and started to hum her own mother's lullaby, in her mother tongue. The cries didn't lessen and Zorana blinked back tears of both sadness and hopelessness.

"My baby, don't you fuss. It's time to lay still, quiet your head." She sang to her month old child. "The night has fallen, and you should rest. My baby, oh beautiful one. Don't you worry; I will be here when you awake. Just rest now, close your eyes, and sleep as the sun now does."

The baby cries quieted and silence was starting to settle over the car. Every now and then a small cry or hiccup would erupt from the back seat. Zorana continued singing her lullaby and within moments the damned city of Abysses was no longer in her rear view mirror.

* * *

"Still no sign of the kid?" Six asked as he walked over to where Dr. Holiday. She frowned at her computer, tapped out a few more keys, and frowned deeper. "Not since we lost his biometric readings five days ago." "Was Noah any help?" "Says he doesn't know where he is either." She sighed and shook her head. "What is it going to take for Providence to realize that he needs a home, not just a room and orders?" She looked at Six. "We've been pushing him away." She added sadly as she looked back up at the monitor, hoping that she could find anything to help them find Rex.

Six stared up at the monitor as well. "Well we'd better find him fast or else he'll miss his incoming partners."

Bobo woke up from his nap with a start. "Huh what? What was that last part?"

Holiday shook her head at the chimp. "Were you even sleeping?"

"Eh…" The chimp did a half shrug and directed his attention back to Six. "Something about incoming partners?"

"Yes." Six answered. "We need more help. I filled out a request form for two EVOs and I was left a message this morning that they were on their way. They should be here within the next hour or so."

"And you think you can find Rex in that period of time?" Bobo inquired doubtfully.

Six grimaced slightly. The chimp was right. It would take at least take a week the rate things were going. "Sir." A voice came from behind them. The three turned and saw a uniformed agent standing in the doorway.

"What is it?" Six asked.

"One of the EVOs is here."

Holiday blinked. "Already?" She cast a glance at Six, who nodded. "Thank you. I'll be there in a moment." The agent nodded back and left.

Bobo sighed and jumped off the chair he was sitting on. "So I suppose we great the new guy?"

Without answering, Six walked toward the back of the room where the door was located. Bobo started following him but stopped to look back at Holiday.

"Coming Doc?"

Holiday turned to look at the screen and then she looked back at Bobo. "I should really—"

"Let these goons handle it," he added with a grin, "they should be smart enough to monitor a screen." With a small smile Holiday and Bobo trailed after Six.

Six hurried angrily down the halls, he couldn't believe it. Not only was there only one EVO here, only a half to the set, but he was early. He could hear Holiday's heals and Bobo's foot pads as they hit the floor behind him. Six turned the corner and entered the lobby of the Providence building. There in the middle of the lobby was the EVO. Six hadn't been given any information on the two, only that his request had been accepted and when they _should _have been arriving. The first thing Six noticed as he stared at the boy appraisingly behind his shades, was that he was about eighteen or nineteen and that he held his arms in an odd manner. He held them tense at his sides, with his elbows bent just a fraction back and his palms out, as if he was ready for one of them to attack him. His dark brown hair was slicked back and ending in the middle of his neck. He wore a long black, sleeveless shirt with an oversized zipper holding it on, and cargo pants with what appeared to be full pockets. His shoes are plain black and polished to a dull shine. When Six reached the kid he got a good look at his facial appearance. Clean and smooth, either from shaving or lack of any facial hair. Square jaw and blue eyes. Six stopped before him and the two waited for Holiday and Bobo to walk into the room, hovering close to the doorway. Holiday smiled at the EVO, but Bobo crossed his arms over his chest. Six just stood angrily staring at him like a statue from behind his glasses. The Evo extended his hand towards Six, keeping his eyes cool and unreadable. The Providence General took it and gave it a firm shake.

"Hello Sir." The EVO greeted, voice as cool as ice, before he moved on to Holiday and Bobo, who had moved next to Six. The two shook hands. "I'm Leon."

Leon looked down at Bobo but the chimp scoffed softly. Leon turned his attention back to Six, unaffected.

"Hello Leon. I'm agent Six, this is Doctor Holiday and the chimp is Bobo Haha. We'll be working closely together here in Providence."

"Hello Sir. Dr. Holiday. Bobo." Leon greeted once more.

"Hello Leon." Holiday said.

"Hey…" The chimp grunted.

"There's supposed to be another here to greet you." Holiday continued. "His name is Rex, but he's… not here at the moment." Leon noted the quick hesitation in her words.

Leon scoffed softly. "Sounds like my sister."

Six dove in at that moment in the conversation. "Yes, where is she and what power do you have control of?"

"My sister, somehow, jumped off the bullet train we were traveling on a few cities back, but I wouldn't worry about her. She usually shows up after a few days. As for my powers, I don't have any. I'm a weapons master, hardly a power."

Six was about to ask a question when Holiday asked it for him. "Wait. You're not an EVO?"

"No, but my sister is. She's a tech. EVO."

Six suppressed a grunt. Great, something else to be angry at. He only had one EVO, with nothing but the ability to sling around a few weapons. Rex's escape was a constant worry hanging over his head and White Knight was breathing down his neck. Now this, the second EVO, which turns out to be the _only_ EVO, had run off and could be anywhere. "Do you have any clue where she could be at this exact moment?" Six asked with a little agitation noticeable in his voice.

Leon half shrugged. "I'm sorry Sir, but that is one thing I cannot keep track of." Great. Just great.

* * *

"Mmmm, food." I said through another mouthful of noodles. The diner I was in was super small, and I think it might have been an old train car long ago. Man, what was this called? Something like Tap Chai, or Fat Thigh or something. The waitress must have heard me from her spot three tables away because she walked over just as I was slurping up the last bits of noodle.

"More Phat Thai?" She asked, glancing at the four other empty bowls in front of me.

"Three more orders." She took my bowls and I added as an after thought, "please?"

As I waited for my food I looked around. Like I had said. The place was small, and I wondered how the waitresses could maneuver. There was a small red shrine on a shelf behind the counter, with a big bellied, laughing Buddha in the middle of it and the whole place smelled like incense and burning noodles. My favorite. There were tiles missing from the floor, and the blinds on some of the windows had been ripped off or broken, casting irregular lighting all over the place. I looked through one of the broken slats to my left, and past the grime on the window. I remembered with excitement that I was, in fact, in a bad part of the city. My food came and I immediately dived into coconut, walnuty goodness.

_I wonder what Leon's doing right now. He's probably already had his room set up and is knee deep in organizing his sock drawer. And I wonder who our new partners are. If they're anything like Leon I'm leaving for real this time. I can't stand another person that could easily spend an hour lecturing me about the importance of first impressions. Well, first impression this! _

I took a noisy slurp/chug of my banana, peanut butter milkshake and slammed the now empty glass onto the table. I saw the waitress eyeing me from behind the counter and waved her over. I picked up the menu that I had refused to give back to her, and when she reached my table I theatrically closed my eyes and pointed to something at random.

"Four orders of _that."_ The 'that' turned out to be a mozzarella stick type thing with some kind of spicy green sauce, and I ate it up within minutes. I could hear shouting outside, and I was anxious to leave and wander, so I stood, shoving the last cheese thing in my mouth and walked over to the register. I had to walk past several tables and for a heart beat I thought one of the guys at one of them was going to reach out and grab me. I had half hoped that he would, but I considered the amount of space and decided that it wasn't good conditions for a fight, so I settled for glaring him right in the eyes. He seemed to decide better on it and let me pass. There was a skinny Asian girl with too much eye glitter at the register. I fished around in my pockets for a moment and pulled out the rectangular piece of plastic.

"Debit or credit?"

"Yes."

"Credit it is," She swiped the card and looked at the screen with a raised eyebrow, "James Colemendo?"

I looked to my left and right in quick confusion, ready to bolt. "Uh….. Sure?" For a minute she looked like she was going to give me attitude about it.

"Have a nice day, Mr. Colemendo." She said with a laugh, handing me back the card and giving me a knowing look. I left the restaurant and let out the breath I didn't know I was holding as soon as I got out in the open. I began walking down the sidewalk, absentmindedly playing with a short lock of hair near my ear. There were some dusty kids playing ball in the street and some black guys on the front stoop of one of the houses, playing loud rap music. The sun was warm, the air was clear, and I'm free to do whatever. That is until my location is figured out and I'm herded back _home _like livestock. Shouting and movement drew my attention to the middle of the street a little bit away from me. There was a small crowd of people standing in a circle, from what I could tell, four guys and a girl around my age. Upon further inspection I saw one of the guys, probably the ring leader, open his mouth and shout something in the middle of them, before they all began kicking the curled up bundle of a person on the ground in front of them. By now they had gathered quite a few spectators, mostly people just standing on the sidewalk or observing from apartment windows. They had also caught the attention of the guys on the stoop, and they looked over in the direction of the commotion, but other than that stayed where they were.

By this point they had stopped long enough to let the kid get up, and almost looked for a second like they were going to allow him to run away. But at the last moment the girl grabbed him by the back of the shirt and brutally yanked him back into the circle. Then they began roughly pushing him from one to the other like a bunch of common, schoolyard bullies. I watched with horror as he was pushed at who I had earlier assumed to be the leader. The older boy pulled his arm back, and just as the kid reached him, cruelly punched him directly in the middle of the face. The boy stumbled and fell onto his back and curled into a ball, covering the back of his head with one arm, while the hand of the other covered his bleeding face. The boy began shouting at his victim again, followed by a chorus of laughter from the rest of the group. Now I was pissed.

_I've had enough. __More__, than enough. _

When the boy pulled his leg back, ready to resume kicking the kid, I was there. I grabbed his ankle. He began to lose his balance and I viciously yanked him to the ground.

"What the hell?" The girl shouted at me, scrunching her nose up in distaste. Her voice was really snarky and annoying, and all I could think of was how nice it would feel to sink my fist into her upturned nose.

"Five against one doesn't seem very fair, don't you think?" I said dangerously quiet. My back was to the sun and I cast a large shadow over them, my face in darkness. The guys on the stoop either leaned forward or stood up, ready to rush over.

_Oh, that's justice. They didn't want to help the kid but the moment a hot girl looks like she's in trouble they want to play macho hero. _

At this point the boy I had knocked to the ground like a fool had had plenty of time to stand back up. He glowered at me with a glare he must have thought was menacing.

"Listen _bitch_-"

"Oh really."

"This doesn't concern you. I don't even know who the hell you are. Stay out of it." He walked a few steps toward me and stopped.

"First of all, little toe tag, call me a bitch one more time and you're going to get better acquainted with the sidewalk." He narrowed his eyes. "Oh stop that, I'm not impressed. Second of all, I don't really care if it's my concern. You had no right in the first place to get your friends together to beat up a younger kid. What, you couldn't take him on your own? What is this even about? Did he steal your juice box during snack time?"

"Who do y-"

"-I really don't give a flying fuck." I spat, putting a hand on my hip.

"You're really going to regret saying that." He took another step toward me and I noticed with satisfaction that the kid they had been wailing on took this as an opportunity to run away, blood and tears running down his face. The punk took another step toward me and at this point I could see the little brown flecks in his eyes and a faint, hairline scar on his right cheek bone. He was so close I could smell the rankness of his breath in my face. "Bitch."

He didn't even have the time to take his next breath. I punched him square in the nose, hard, much like he had to the kid he was bullying. His head snapped back from the impact and he stumbled back a step, but I'm not stupid, and I could tell by his body language that he wasn't going to take more than a few scant seconds before he retaliated. I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled his chin down to meet my knee. One of the guys on the stoop made a motion like he was going to come over, but one of his friends grabbed his elbow and stopped him. The boy let out a groan and I threw him into his stupid little girlfriend as she began running toward me. He was passed out cold on the sidewalk, but she got up quick as a snake and was ready to strike. Or try to. Adrenaline was pumping furiously through my veins, and I would be an idiot not to admit to myself that I loved it. The rap music was still playing loudly a few houses away and there were jeers and laughter coming from the guys sitting there, and from people hanging out their windows, but they were all easily ignored. My motion and depth perception, along with my hearing, had become heightened in a way that only a fight, albeit a weak one, could bring me. There were still four people in the fight. The blonde boy and the slightly overweight one both came at me at once, one straight at me and one from the side like a coward. It was easy to step to the side and let them smack into each other. I would have winced at the sounds of their front teeth cracking together if it wasn't so damn funny. Again, they decided to rush me at once. Their leader was still in la-la land on the pavement, and the girl was beside him trying to nudge him into consciousness. Thinking fast I pulled my arm back and punched him in the chin and kicked out in time to catch the next one in the gut. I noticed their leader getting up from the sidewalk. They all stood there, sweating and breathing hard and the guy I had knocked out looked unsteady on his feet. He was trying to act normal, but I noticed the way he couldn't keep his balance without swaying a little.

_This is fun. _

A second and third shadow appeared and I heard a familiar voice behind me. I turned around and smiled, ignoring the stranger with him.

"Oh hey bro. Took you long enough." He just gave me a look like I was in trouble.

"Is there going to be a problem?" He stared directly at the leader of the group, who was standing in the center of them all, in front of the pack. I saw the guy look straight into my brother's eyes, full of anger and determination. But when Leon lifted up the bottom of his shirt to reveal a black gun on his hip, the boys gaze wavered and his muscles seemed to deflate slightly.

"Good." There was the sound of fast approaching footsteps behind me and my brother's eyes snapped up sharply. I smiled and clenched my fist. I whipped around fast and crushed my knuckles into snotty girls face. There was a clear cracking noise and she fell flat onto her back. She began crying every obscenity under the sun. Her hands were over her face and I could see a fine trickle of blood dripping between her fingers.

It's funny how, as we were walking away toward the car, that none of her 'friends' came to her to see if she was okay, all they could do was gape as we opened the suicide doors, stepped in, and screeched down the street.

The car ride was quiet and boring. Leon spent only a few seconds on a quick, five word introduction of the stranger. A few times I tried turning on the radio, but every time I did, Six turned it off. And every time I had put my ear buds in it, Leon ripped them out.

Several hours later. "So, how far away is Providence?" No answer. An hour later. "Are we going to be there soon?" No answer. Fifteen minutes later. "I have to pee. Can we stop at the next gas station?" One gas station later. "Man, I'm hungry. Food?" A medium pizza, two burritos, a liter of Mountain Fizz, and some chips for Captains Stick Up Their Asses 1 and 2, later. "I'm bored. ROADTRIP SONGS!" A glare from Leon and a frown from Six. "Okay, no road trip songs then." An hour later. "I'm sleepy. How are you guys still awake?" They pulled over to a rank looking little motel. The next morning. "I'm hungry." Approximately thirty dollars in McDonalds later. "I'm bored" Half an hour later. "Are we there yet?" Another half hour. "Are we there yet?… Are we there yet?… Are we there yet?… Are we there now? What about now? How close are we? Will we be there soon? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? …. Are we-"

"Does it _look_ like we're there?" Six snapped, never taking his eyes off the road. I looked around at the deserted stretch of country on either side of us.

"Well I don't know. Shield was hidden in an insane asylum. Providence could be in that barn for all I know!"

"You'll know when we're there."

So with nothing better to do, I slept. And slept. I had foggy dreams of a red room full of water. There were blue dots of light, like stars, on the top. And I could see wires against the other side of the semi translucent walls. And then there was a light, like the side of it was being zipped open. A light… a light. When I woke up, the first things I noticed was the flashing white lights above the car somewhere. I was sitting on my back, with my head against the door, so I was able to see out the window. The second was that it was dark. I didn't see the moon or the stars, or any clouds, so I guessed that we were somewhere indoors. That could only mean one thing. We were here. Providence.


End file.
